The invention relates to a baggage storage system with a lowerable or drop-down baggage compartment for a passenger cabin, especially in an aircraft. The baggage compartment is selectively movable from an upper closed position to a lower open loading position, and vice versa.
It is generally known to use so-called overhead baggage compartments in passenger cabins of commercial transport aircraft, whereby the baggage compartments may be lowered from an upper closed position to a lower open loading position, and vice versa.
A guidance and support system guides the motion of the baggage compartment between the two open and closed positions, whereby many different embodiments or configurations of such a guide system are known in the prior art. For example, German Patent Laying-Open Document 195 46 302 discloses a known four-joint or four-link system, and German Patent Laying-Open Document 198 00 588 discloses a known linear guide system for guiding the motion of such a lowerable baggage compartment.
Such guide systems can be equipped with drive units to apply a supporting force that assists in the manual lifting and closing of a loaded baggage compartment. Typical embodiments for providing such a supporting force use tension springs or gas-charged piston/cylinder devices. Alternatively, the drive unit can be embodied as an active motor drive that entirely carries out the lowering and raising of the baggage compartment without any manual operating force being applied to the baggage compartment. The use of such a lifting and lowering drive for the baggage compartment is very comfortable and pleasant for the passengers and flight attendants in the aircraft, because they do not need to apply any manual operating force for raising or lowering the baggage compartment. Problems arise, however, if the drive unit for the baggage compartment fails.
In prior art arrangements, it becomes very difficult or even impossible to manually open or close the baggage compartment if the drive unit thereof has failed. For safety reasons, however, it is necessary that the baggage compartment can be closed and securely latched in the closed position at all times during a flight, even if the drive unit of the baggage compartment has failed. On the other hand, passengers strongly desire to have continuous access to their carry-on baggage, which means that the baggage compartment must remain openable and thereby accessible even in the case of the failure of the raising and lowering drive unit.
In view of the above, it is an object of the invention to provide a lowerable baggage compartment that remains accessible as well as securely closeable at all times, even in the event of a failure of a motor drive unit thereof. The invention particularly aims to provide such a baggage compartment that can be readily manually opened and securely closed in the event of a failure of the motor drive unit. The invention further aims to avoid or overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, and to achieve additional advantages, as apparent from the present specification.
The above objects have been achieved according to the invention in a baggage storage system including a lowerable baggage compartment, a guide system along which the baggage compartment can be moved between an upper closed position and a lower open position, a drive unit, and a coupling unit that selectively couples the baggage compartment to and selectively decouples the baggage compartment from drive power of the drive unit. Namely, when the drive unit is properly operational, it is coupled to the baggage compartment so as to selectively raise and lower the baggage compartment in a guided manner along the guide system. On the other hand, in the event of the failure of the drive unit, the coupling unit decouples the drive unit from the baggage compartment, so that the baggage compartment can be manually operated without hindrance by the failed drive unit. The invention thus provides a baggage compartment that is entirely motor driven under normal operating circumstances, but that further has an emergency operating function which enables the baggage compartment to be manually opened and securely closed, and allows easy access to the carry-on baggage stowed in the baggage compartment, in the event of a failure of the motor drive unit.
According to embodiment details of the invention, the baggage compartment system may further include a locking latch arrangement with a latch pawl that is preferably spring-loaded to selectively engage a detent recess or pocket in the baggage compartment when the baggage compartment is in the closed position. Thereby, the baggage compartment can be securely fixed or locked in the upper closed position, independently of the functionality of the drive unit. In other words, the drive unit itself is not relied on for holding the baggage compartment in the upper closed position. This inventive feature satisfies safety requirements that particularly exist in commercial passenger transport aircraft.
According to further features of the invention, the drive unit may comprise a toothed belt or gear belt driven by a corresponding drive gear wheel or toothed pulley on a drive shaft, which may be selectively coupled to or decoupled from a drive motor by a mechanical coupling. Alternatively, the drive unit may be a pivot drive including a splined shaft arranged on or about the pivot axis, with a mechanical coupling that may be switched between coupled and decoupled states by means of a shifting claw or dog, so as to couple or decouple the drive. The shifting claw may be manually operable via a tension cable and a manually operable hand lever. Alternatively, the shifting claw may be operated by electrical, electromagnetic, pneumatic or hydraulic actuator devices.
According to further embodiments, the drive unit may comprise a fluid stroke drive including a hydraulic or pneumatic working cylinder cooperating with a working piston that drives the opening and closing motion of the baggage compartment. In this embodiment, a bypass line and a bypass valve form the coupling unit. The bypass valve and thereby the bypass line can be opened so that the hydraulic or pneumatic working fluid bypasses the hydraulic or pneumatic working cylinder.
Alternatively, the drive unit may be a spindle stroke drive including a threaded drive spindle, a transmission, and a drive motor connected by the transmission to the spindle, as well as a slide carriage connected to the baggage compartment. The spindle is selectively coupled to or decoupled from the carriage, to selectively drive the baggage compartment between the open and closed positions, or to selectively allow the baggage compartment to be manually operated without hindrance by the drive unit.